Anti-roll slide and thread lock for spools

ABSTRACT

A slide member is received in the end flange of the spool for movement from a retracted position within the confines of the spool flange to extended positions wherein the free end of the thread on the spool may be placed within the holding notch on the slide member. The thread may be locked and retained between the slide member and the end flange with the slide in a retracted position or with the slide in an extended position beyond the confines of the end flange for the purpose of preventing the spool for rolling. The slide includes a cutter notch for severing the thread, and guide notches for winding the thread into the cutter. Detents are provided to position the slide at two extended positions on either side of the flange.

United States atent 1 Lauen et al.

[ Sept. 17, 1974 ANTI-ROLL SLIDE AND THREAD LOCK FOR SPOOLS Inventors: Marguerite M. Lauen; James E.

Lauen, both of 233 E. Renetta, El Cajon, Calif. 92020 Filed: Dec. 29, 1972 Appl. No.: 319,902

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1907 Slagle 225/63 7/1937 Johl 242/1252 3/1945 Warren 225/62 Primary ExaminerGeorge F. Mautz Attorney, Agent, or FirmBrown and Martin [5 7 ABSTRACT A slide member is received in the end flange of the spool for movement from a retracted position within the confines of the spool flange to extended positions wherein the free end of the thread on the spool may be placed within the holding notch on the slide member. The thread may be locked and retained between the slide member and the end flange with the slide in a retracted position or with the slide in an extended position beyond the confines of the end flange for the purpose of preventing the spool for rolling. The slide includes a cutter notch for severing the thread, and guide notches for winding the thread into the cutter. Detents are provided to position the slide at two extended positions on either side of the flange.

5 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures ANTI-ROLL SLIDE AND THREAD LOCK FOR SPOOLS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thread and other filamentry material is normally sold with the material wound on a spool using circular end flanges. The circular end flanges are necessitated by the winding equipment utilized with the spools, and because of the configuration of dispensing cabinets frequently employed in connection with the spools. In the dispensing cabinets, the thread spool must have a circular flange configuration to permit it to roll under the influence of gravity to the dispensing position.

While the circular end flange configuration is necessary due to practical considerations in manufacturing and dispensing, such end flange configuration becomes a disadvantage when utilized by the consumer in that the spool tends to roll when dropped or placed on a flat surface. Additionally, prior art thread spools have not provided an adequate means of capturing and holding the free end of the material to prevent the material from unraveling off the spool. Thus, when the conventional spool is placed on a flat surface, it has a tendency to roll, thereby making it difficult to locate the spool when it is needed further. Additionally, because of the inadequacy of the prior art filament holding devices, the free end of the material may be dispensed from the spool as it rolls causing extra work for the consumer and creating tangles of excess filamentry material.

Various prior art devices have been proposed which would be attached to the spool and provide a locking tab or other locking device to hold the free end of the filamentry material and prevent it from dispensing inadvertently. However, these prior art devices have not solved the problem of preventing spool rolling while at the same time preserving the circular end flange for manufacturing, dispensing, and certain end use operations. Further, such prior art devices have not combined means for capturing and holding the free end of the filamentry material with an adequate anti-rolling feature.

Therefore, it is desirable to have a spool that icludes an anti-roll device, and at the same time provides for the capturing and folding of the free end of the filamentry material, especially where such a device is susceptible of being handled by existing filament winding machinery and being dispensed from existing spool dispensing cabinets.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a slide member received in a slot in the circular end flange of a thread spool. The slide member is movable between a retracted position where it is positioned within the confines of the end flange, and a plurality of extended positions whereby the free end of the thread may be wound into contact with the slide, and the slide retracted sufficiently to capture the free end of the thread and hold it between the slide and the flange body. In this position, the slide is still extended beyond the outer periphery of the end flange which slide extension prevents rolling of the spool due to the protrusion of the slide.

The slide member has notches for guiding and receiving the thread so that the thread may be more easily guided and retained between the slide and flange body.

Thus there is produced an anti-roll slide and thread lock for spools which may be wound on a conventional thread winding equipment in that the lock and slide need not protrude beyond the end flange during manufacturing operations and wherein the end flange may be retained in the circular configuration for dispensing from gravity feed cabinets, but where the thread spool of the invention, by operation of a slide, can be configured to prevent rolling of the spool on a surface and wherein the same slide member used for anti-rolling purposes also is utlized to capture and hold the free end of the thread until it is ready for further use.

The invention contemplates that it may also be desirable to provide for a cutter member on the slide which may be utilized in conjunction with the thread holding features of the invention, whereby the thread may be held and cut with the free end being retained without further motion after the cutting action. For cutting process, additional notches are provided on the slide to guide the thread in being wound about the slide and over the cutting member so that a useful length of thread extends from the holding notch on the slide. This length of thread is useful for such purposes as color matching and to provide a sufficient quantity of thread so that it may be easily grasped for subsequent use.

It should be noted that while the device of the invention is described in connection with its use on thread spools, the invention is equally applicable to spools retaining other types of filamentry material such as fishing lines, ribbon, and string. Further, it should be noted that while the invention is described in its use as an in tegral part of a thread spool, it is possible to provide the invention in the form of an attachment to be used in connection with existing spools.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a new and improved anti-roll slide and thread lock for spools.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved anti-roll slide and thread lock for spools onto which filamentry material may be wound by conventional winding machines.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved anti-roll slide and thread lock for spools that prevents undesired unraveling of the filamentry material by holding the free end of the material in place during periods of non-use.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved anti-roll slide and thread lock for spools which does not significantly increase the overall size of the thread spool.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved anti-roll slide and thread lock for spools which is easy to manufacture and relatively low in cost.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved slide and thread lock for spools which includes a cutter member for severing a dispensed portion of the filamentry stock.

Other objects and many attendant advantages of the invention'will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description. Together with the drawings in which like numbers refer to like parts throughout and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the thread spool with the thread retaining slide partially extended.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the spool.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the technique for cutting thread.

FIG. 6 is a perspective of the spool with the slide in the retracted position.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a slide bar with the alternative cutter insert.

Referring now to the drawing there is illustrated a spool 10 configured of a plastic material such as ABS plastic. The spool has a quantity of thread 12 wound thereon which thread is retained on the spool by a conventional end flange 14 and an end flange l6 incorporating the features of the invention. The end flange 16 includes partial circular segments 18 and 19 that form a slot and receive between them a slide member 20. Slide 20 has inclined sides 42 and 44 which cooperate with the inclined surfaces 43 and 45 in the end flange 16 to retain the slide member 20 for slidable movement between a retracted position as illustrated in FIG. 6, and extended positions wherein the slide member protrudes beyond the periphery of the end flange 16. The slide member is penetrated by a plurality of holes 22, 24 and 26, the holes align in the several positions of the slide, with the center hole in the thread spool so that the spool may be placed over the spindle on a sewing machine or similar spindle with the slide extended. FIG. 2 illustrates the slide member in its first extended position wherein the hole 26 is aligned with the central hole 27 on the thread spool.

The second extended position of the slide is illustrated in FIG. 5 which extended position brings a notch 30 in the slide 20 into registration with the outer periphery of end flange 16, so that the thread 12 being wound from the spool will be positioned to fall into the notch 30. If it is desired merely to capture the end of the thread and hold it for later use, the slide member may be retracted to the position illustrated in FIG. 6 whereby the free end 36 of the thread 12 will be held in position to be grasped and removed from notch 30 as it is later used. The slide member also includes guide notches 28 and 32 that are utilized in conjunction with a cutter 34 mounted in notch 35. The additional notches 32 and 28 are utilized to wind the free end 36 of the thread around the slide thereby creating an extended length free end portion which may be cut by winding it over and into the slot 35 and into contact with the cutter portion 34. The cutter portion may be a separate element such as illustrated in FIG. 7 or merely a sharpened notch in the plastic material such as is illustrated in FIG. 2. Prior to cutting operations the slide member may be moved from the FIG. 5 position to bring the notch 30 within the confines of the end flange 16 whereby the free end 36 of the thread will be captured for later use but the cutter member will remain exposed to permit severing of the thread.

The slide member is retained in the retracted and two extended positions on either side of center by protrusions 50, 52, and 54 which cooperate with recessed detents 56 and 58 in the upper surface 60 of the end flange l6.

OPERATION In use, in winding operations during which the thread is wound onto the spool, the slide member 20 is moved to its retracted position and retained there by the cooperation of the protrusion and detent 56. In this retracted configuration the end flange 16 is not significantly different in size than a conventional end flange. Therefore, it may be utilized on thread winding machines in a manner identical to that utilized with conventional spools. Similarly, after the thread has been wound and shipped to the retailer for sale, it may be stored in conventional gravity feed dispensing cabinets with the slide in the retracted position.

After sale, and during the consumers use of the thread, it is possible to use the slide solely for retaining the free end of the thread by extending the slide to the position illustrated in FIG. 5 where the first notch 30 is in registration with the periphery of the end flange l6, and drawing the thread from the spool into the notch. After the thread is positioned in the notch the slide is moved to the position illustrated in FIG. 6 wherein again the spool has an outer configuration which for practical purposes is identical with conventional spools but wherein the thread is securely retained by the action and cooperation of the slide together with the body of the end flange 16.

If it is desired to retain the free end of the thread using the slide member but also to prevent the spool from rolling should it be laid on a flat or inclined surface, then the slide member may be extended to the first position illustrated in FIG. 2 wherein the notch 30 is still within the confines of the end flange periphery, and thereby the thread free end 36 is still prevented from unraveling, yet the slide member is sufficiently extended to prevent rolling of the spool. It should be noted that when the slide member is in the position illustrated in FIG. 2 it is possible to utilize the thread spot on a sewing machine since the hole 26 aligns with the central hole 27 in the spool to permit insertion of the spool over a sewing machine spindle.

When utilizing the slide member for severing the thread the slide is moved to the position illustrated in FIG. 5 and the thread first wound into the notch 30 and then subsequently wound about the slide through guide notches 32 and 28. The slide is then moved from the second extended position illustrated in FIG. 5 to a position wherein 30 is within the confines of the end flange 16 a sufficient distance to retain the free end of the thread. In this manner the thread will be retained after cutting. The thread is then wound into and pulled against the cutter 34 in notch 35 which severs the thread. The thread will unravel about the slide so that the free end 36 is in substantially the position illustrated in FIG. 1. Thereafter it is possible to move the slide to the first extended position as is illustrated in FIG. 2, providing a sufficient length of the thread extending from its retained position on the slide for use in color matching as by laying the thread against a piece of fabric or similar material.

Having described our invention, we now claim.

1. A device for use on a spool capable of containing a quantity of filamentary material and having end flanges wherein the improvement comprises:

a slide member,

mounting means comprising a slot in an end flange of said spool for retaining said slide member on said end flange and for limiting said slide member to generally radial movement relative to the axis of said spool,

said slide member having a major dimension which is no greater than the diameter of said end flange,

said slide member having two generally parallel edges spaced by a distance substantially equal to the distance between the walls of said slot, and

said slide member having at least one retaining notch in one of said edges for holding filamentary material between a wall of said slot and the body of said slide member.

2. A device for use on a spool according to claim 1,

further including:

detent means between said slide member and said end flange for retaining said slide member in a position wherein a portion of said slide member extends beyond the circumference of said end flange,

said detent means comprising a cooperating protrusion and recess. 3. A device for use on a spool as claimed in claim 1, further including:

a cutter notch in said slide member between said holding notch and the near end of said slide member,

said cutter notch having a sharpened element at the apex of said notch,

whereby a retained end of said filamentary material may be severed by drawing it into said cutter notch.

4. A device for use on a spool according to claim 3,

further including:

a plurality of guide notches in said slide member including at least one guide notch on the edge of said slide member not having said cutter notch.

5. A device for use on a spool according to claim 1,

wherein:

said slot comprises spaced parallel side walls,

said side walls are inclined and form a dovetail slot,

gage said side walls of said slot. 

1. A device for use on a spool capable of containing a quantity of filamentary material and having end flanges wherein the improvement comprises: a slide member, mounting means comprising a slot in an end flange of said spool for retaining said slide member on said end flange and for limiting said slide member to generally radial movement relative to the axis of said spool, said slide member having a major dimension which is no greater than the diameter of said end flange, said slide member having two generally parallel edges spaced by a distance substantially equal to the distance between the walls of said slot, and said slide member having at least one retaining notch in one of said edges for holding filamentary material between a wall of said slot and the body of said slide member.
 2. A device for use on a spool according to claim 1, further including: detent means between said slide member and said end flange for retaining said slide member in a position wherein a portion of said slide member extends beyond the circumference of said end flange, said detent means comprising a cooperating protrusion and recess.
 3. A device for use on a spool as claimed in claim 1, further including: a cutter notch in said slide member between said holding notch and the near end of said slide member, said cutter notch having a sharpened element at the apex of said notch, whereby a retained end of said filamentary material may be severed by drawing it into said cutter notch.
 4. A device for use on a spool according to claim 3, further including: a plurality of guide notches in said slide member including at least one guide notch on the edge of said slide member not having said cutter notch.
 5. A device for use on a spool according to claim 1, wherein: said sLot comprises spaced parallel side walls, said side walls are inclined and form a dovetail slot, said edges of said slide member are inclined and engage said side walls of said slot. 